Rough Edges
by One.League.Under.the.Stars
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy has always been a bit of a prick. Elizabeth Stockhold was always at odds with the charming young King of Hogwarts. Could a new student open her eyes to the real reason behind his ways?
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Scorpius Malfoy has always been a bit of a prick. Elizabeth Stockhold was always at odds with the charming young King of Hogwarts. Could a new student open her eyes to the real reason behind ways?_

_Rating: T_

Chapter 1: A New Term

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My mum stood next to my trolley, double and triple checking to make sure I had remembered everything that I needed. She was so paranoid whenever I went back off to Hogwarts, but I guess that is something to be expected from a muggle mother such as herself. It was no secret to me and my wizard father that she had a great fear of magic. It had been an especially rough time for my family once he told her that he was a wizard. First, it was the believability factor. She thought he was crazy for sure, but, well, he still won't tell me what he did to make her believe him. After that, it was reliving the horrors of the war that he faced, which gave him his scars. When he told her about fighting Death Eaters and being there when Harry Potter had killed Voldemort at Hogwarts, she initially refused to allow me to go to the school. It took quite some amount of convincing before she would let me. Even now there was a hint of fear in her voice when she would say goodbye.

"Mum, will you be coming onto the platform this time?" I asked, already aware of her answer.

She bit her lip and glanced at my father, who was smiling reassuringly at her. But she shook her head and said, "Elizabeth, I just don't think I can...not this year."

I forced a smile. After all it wasn't her fault she was scared. Magic is a scary thing. I only wished that she would come just once, so she could see what it was like on the other side.

My father and I leaned up against the brick wall casually. He tipped his hat to a muggle couple that passes by and then, just like that, he's gone. I only staid to watch the astonished look on their faces before I too, passed through the brick wall. On the other side, he's grinning from ear to ear.

"I don't think your boss would very much like what we just did," I said smiling nervously.

"Well, Mr. Potter is up for a nice joke I think anyway. Besides, it was only the trick of an eye. Such a simple magicians illusions!" He laughed as he wheeled my trolley around for me. We headed down the platform to the center of the train where I normally met Al. He was up ahead waiting eagerly so we could snatch a compartment far from the prefects. Before I went after him I stopped and turned to my father, giving him a tight hug.

"Now Elizabeth, I want you to write me at least once a week. And you tell me if that boy keeps on bothering you and Al, okay? I'm sure Mr. Potter will want to know about it too."

And just like that, there he was. Harry Potter was standing just next to my dad, smiling at me. "Good morning Elizabeth."

"Morning Mr. Potter," I replied cheerfully. I still haven't gotten used to the gawking of the first years and their parents at the sight of him. It never ended.

"You have a good time now, Elizabeth, you hear? I'll be seeing you for Christmas," my father said. "And hopefully I'll get your mum to come along to get you this time."

I sighed. "Don't force her, dad. She can't help that she's scared."

He smiled and bent down to kiss my forehead. "I know sweetie, but she needs to be brave for you. Now run along before the train leaves without you."

I waved goodbye to my dad and Mr. Potter as I jogged over to Al. The train whistled loudly, signaling for everyone to get aboard. Al helped me lift my trunk onto the train and into a compartment. Fred, Roxanne, Rose and James were already here. I put my tabby cat, Odie, down on Rose's lap and she immediately started to stroke him behind the all sat in silence for a moment before bursting into pointless laughter.

"I've missed you all," I sighed as I wiped away tears from the corners of my eyes.

Roxanne hugged me tightly. "We missed you too Elizabeth!"

"Oi, I reckon it'd be no fun without you here, bookworm," James said as he ruffled my hair jokingly.

"And poor Al would have to start talking to us," Fred gasped as he clutched dramatically at his chest and laid his head on Al's shoulder. "Oh woe is me! I have no friends! I have to actually talk to my family!"

Al shoved him a little but he was smiling just as happily as ever. We all share another laugh. I missed my friends so much.

The Potter's and the Weasley's had been my family basically since my second year at Hogwarts. My first year I had mostly spent my time in solitude, not talking to anyone or doing anything worth mentioning. It wasn't until Albus Potter had accidentally turned my brown hair blue in my second year that anything exciting had happened to me. It was all over after that. I was sucked right in to the vortex of the family. Soon my family was spending Christmas with their family, my face was in the "Where Are They Now - Famous Witches and Wizards" section of the Daily Prophet along side of the Potter family, and I was receiving discounts at George's shop. Perhaps the most significant change of all, was my new school record, showing all the detentions I had received after going along with James' and Fred's plans. They had broken through my wall...no...completely destroyed it! And now there was no turning back. I was a Potter now.

"Excuse me?"

We were laughing too hard to notice the girl who had opened our compartment door. I recognized her; she was in Ravenclaw as well. Her name was Lisbet.

"Hey Lisbet," I said with a smile. "What is it that you need?"

She tugged at her shirt and rocked back and forth. "Well, I can't find anywhere to sit and it looks like this compartment is full too..."

"Wait!" Al called before she left. He stood up and gestured to his own seat. "You can sit with us."

"B...but you were sitting there."

He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Well, I can sit on the floor. It's no big deal, really. To be honest there are normally more of us in here anyways so it's not a problem."

James and Fred eyed each other, making kissing faces behind Al. Rose threw them a disapproving look and shushed them. "Yeah really," she said smiling. "I promise we don't bite!"

Lisbet bit her lip and took Al's seat with a small nod of thanks.

"So, Elizabeth! How was your summer?"

I shrugged. "To be honest it was rather boring. Except for when we went to see that magic circus of course! That was absolutely the highlight of my summer. But other than that I did homework and other unexciting things. At least in magic terms. I did finally get my license to drive cars. I still have my broom which is faster...but I can't ride that around in London."

"Have you brought it with you? You could try out for Quidditch!"

"Ha!" Al laughed. "She's a good flyer but a clumsy Quidditch player."

James sighed. "Well then maybe she ought to start practicing with us then, eh?"

"Why encourage her to play, James? She'd be on a different team," Roxanne said.

"A clumsy Chaser is _exactly_ what he needs to win," I said with a wink in his direction.

He laughed and shook his head. "No of course not. I mean, well, that would be a bonus for me...but Quidditch is fun! You might enjoy it. You love flying don't you? You can make something out of that and Quidditch is one of them!"

"Yes, but I also like my brain," I said crossing my arms. "And as I recall you lost quite a bit of yours last year when you were hit in the head with that beater's stick!"

James rolled his eyes but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Lisbet hardly spoke and when she did she didn't say much. Al and Rose were the only ones trying to talk to her. I didn't find it very useful at any rate, seeing as she didn't particularly like to talk to anyone. Most people thought she was arrogant and I must admit that I had thought so too for a while...but after spending some time in the dorms with her, I realized that it wasn't the case.

We changed into our robes halfway through the train ride. Sometimes it felt weird to be around the Potter's and the Weasley's. They were all so close and all of them were in Gryffindor. Not that it mattered. Ravenclaws had nothing against them, it's only that their Slytherin enemies were quick to become my enemies as well, even though Ravenclaw had no quarrels with them either. The House rivalry hadn't died, it had just tamed. To be honest, most Slytherins were quite civil with the Gryffindors and vice-versa. Even if it was a reluctant civility, it still existed. Only a few families held grudges and it just so happened that the Potter-Weasley family had succeeded in being caught up in most of them. My being the only real "outsider" to join their tight knit group it basically made me one of them as well.

I tucked my tie under my gray house sweater and pulled my black robes over my shoulders. The boys came back in then and returned to their seats. Al switched with James and sat next to Lisbet (who was swinging her feet back and forth and humming softly to herself now) and James sat on the floor. Roxanne and Rose quickly delved into the topic of the boys they fancied and James and Fred chatted about the Quidditch teams_ they_ fancied. I was left to stare out the window and watch the trees roll by. It was a rather serene environment and I enjoyed it.

It didn't take much longer for the train to grow dark as the night and for the speed to begin reducing or for the whistle to blow in a single sweet note over the stillness of the air. We were finally at Hogwarts. I sighed a sigh of relief and stood, pulling Odie from Rose's lap and tucking him under my arm. He meowed boredly and wiggled from my arms before taking refuge in the carriage above on top of Al's trunk. "Fine. But don't you go getting lost now, you here?"He meowed once again and I shook my head, following James out into the corridor.

We hurried along and tried to get out as soon as possible. James bounded ahead and snagged a carriage, helping me and Lisbet up into it to ride with him. Al got lost in the crowd so I figured I'd meet up with him as soon as we got to the Great Hall. I could see James staring at the empty space where the Thestrals were supposed to be.

"I almost wish I could see them," he mumbled.

"I'm glad you can't," I said somberly. "You know they aren't so much fun to look at."

He grunted a little and leaned over his knees. James wasn't normally such a depressed looking figure, but it was also a fact that he was eager to live up to his father's name. He sought out adventure just like his father did and was always jumping at the chance to be a hero. Seeing him like this was almost pitiful.

"Where have you seen them?"

I shrugged a little. "My dad drew me a picture once. He can see them now too. He says he's glad he doesn't have to ride in the carriages anymore. They remind him too much of the war."

James frowned and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in closer to his side. "My dad hardly tells us war stories," he said rubbing his chin. "But I'm afraid to hear them too. To know what happened to him. Sometimes I forget that we weren't the only ones affected by the war."

He was my brother and I hoped that he never, ever was able to see the Thestrals."I can't even imagine."

He jumped when the carriage started moving.

All the while, Lisbet was still humming.


	2. Chapter 2

_Summary: Scorpius Malfoy has always been a bit of a prick. Elizabeth Stockhold was always at odds with the charming young King of Hogwarts. Could a new student open her eyes to the real reason behind ways?_

_Rating: T_

Chapter 2: The Scholar and the King

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The Potter and the Weasley family always took up a majority of the Gryffindor table. You could spot them easily as most of them had red hair or were quite loud and dramatic in nature. It was no surprise that they seemed to be the ruling family of the school. James Potter was the Emperor of all of Hogwarts and no one could deny it. But there was someone else who had just as much popularity as James did. He was the King of Hogwarts and everyone knew this too. He and James were constantly at odds with each other, battling over everything. Perhaps it was in their blood—after all their fathers had had it out for each other as well—or maybe it was just the fact that both of them wanted the spotlight.

Either way, when James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy went at it, you did _not _want to be caught in the middle of it.

I, on the other hand, had the uncanny ability to do exactly that whenever the two started picking fights. Al always told me that I was too much of a diplomat for my own good. But what else was I supposed to do? James was a pain to deal with all in his own but Scorpius...Merlin that boy was just a time-bomb waiting to explode. His arrogance coupled with his undeniable wit was a force to be reckoned with. James was smart, but he wasn't as smart as Scorpius. He just had a big fat head and some amazing skill as a wizard. He's lucky his dad had trained him well or things might have been different.

It had only been a few minutes since I had left the comfort of my "clan" and returned to my own house. I had friends in Ravenclaw as well, but they were not like the Potters. Besides, Scorpius was here too, so things were always on the frustrating side. He was on the opposite side of the hall, however, so I did not so much worry about that. I had contented myself with engaging in a rather heated debate with Emily Pitsick over my position on the recent Quidditch controversy brought up by an anti-violence extremist group of witches and wizards.

"But you can't deny the fact that Quidditch in itself is quite a dangerous sport and shouldn't be played in schools! Especially not with such young children around to watch," she hissed under her breath as the first year students came marching through the doors.

"Lighten up Emily!" I said with a laugh. "Quidditch is fun! If it were so dangerous do you think there would be so many people lining up to play every year?"

She gave out a 'humph' and crossed her arms tightly. "It's a glorified fight is what I think. People only sign up because you've got people like James and Scorpius as captains. Nobody is interested in playing, they just want to the eye candy—"

"Come off it, Emily, you can't really think that! If that were the case then why would there be so many good players? Do you think that they practice all summer just to get the praise of a few boys?"

"Of course," she bellowed exasperated. "What else could it be for? Would you want to fly around aimlessly throwing a quaffle around? What else is there to it?"

I stared at her completely and utterly surprised. "What about all the boys who try out then, hmm? You think they fancy a little peek at James Potter while he's undressing too?"

"Maybe not Potter," she muttered. "But I'm sure they certainly wouldn't mind seeing the girls change! And besides, they get to prove to themselves to a whole crowd of us young girls that they are superior!"

"So let me get this straight...you think that Quidditch is dangerous, the players just want to look at pretty people, and its so easy that it's pointless?"

She nodded her head. "And are you saying you really disagree with me?"

"Absobloodylutely!" I exclaimed.

Our argument died down eventually and those that had been listening in returned to their own conversations. I still couldn't believe how naive someone could be. Quidditch was a dangerous sport, there was no doubt about that, but there is only so far you can take an argument like that. There are a lot of dangerous sports out there. Muggle sports are dangerous too and they don't have the advantage of magic that we do, yet they still play. What excuse do wizards have?

The sorting began then and everyone turned to watch as each new first year was sorted into their new house. Every time a Ravenclaw was claimed my table jumped into a chorus of cheering, followed by the loud hooting of Scorpius Malfoy and his lackey Thomas Greene.

By the time the sorting was over I found myself growing tired and hungry. It had been a long day and I was excited to head up to the dorms for some sleep. Headmaster Scruple made his speech quickly and then, with a wave of his hands, the food was before us. I did not hesitate to spoon mashed potatoes onto my plate or take a few pieces of chicken. All the while, Emily was talking non-stop about how she had accomplished her homework and the extent of the research she had to do to complete it. No one was really listening to her as she had a tendency to spout the most irrational things.

Most of the hall had erupted into loud conversation, yet I was content with silence. I didn't stay long in the Great Hall. I ate a plate of food and then stood slowly, making my way out of the Great Hall without disturbing anyone.

There was a loud banging and some shouting down the corridor. I heared, "...Well you certainly didn't have to follow me out, Potter."

I glance over and see the back of a tall, blonde boy with broad shoulders looming over James.

"You were up to something Malfoy," James snarled. "And don't you deny it!"

Scorpius laughed. "Oh of course, Overlord! I am ever so sorry that I was sneaking off to the Ravenclaw dormitory to steal a good nights rest right under your nose. How ever can you forgive me?"

"If you think I'm going to believe that story then you must think I'm pretty thick."

"Actually Potter I do think you're that thick," he said.

James pulls his wand from his pocket and points it directly at Scorpius' face. "Why don't you say that again, Malfoy? I'd like to see you sleep with a big fat head to match that ego of yours!"

That is when I decide to interject.

"James put your wand down. What are you trying to do? Get detention on the first day?" I sighed as I walked up to the two and pushed James' hand down.

He glared at me. "Elizabeth go away! This is between me and him!"

"Oh shut up you nancy, you weren't going to do anything to me."

"Be quiet you prat, no one asked you," I snarled.

He smirked and crossed his arms but said nothing.

"Malfoy you're lucky she's here or I'd rip you a new one!" James shouts over my shoulder.

"So you're going to let a little girl stop you? How manly, Potter."

I glare up at his happy gray eyes. He is much to content with provoking James like this. "I am not a little girl!"

He grins. "Obviously not." Then suddenly, he had me by the waist and was swinging me around while he sang, "Elizabeth Stockhold, Elizabeth Stockhold! Always a diplomat Elizabeth Stockhold! Elizabeth Stockhold, Elizabeth Stockhold!" He gets down on one knee with a hand over his heart, clutching mine with his other. "An arse like a dancer and lips so fine and bold!"

With that he dashes down the hallway, laughing and singing his new song. James immediately fires up and chases after Scorpius, screaming at him to shut up and leave me alone the whole way. I watch—my face red with both anger and embarrassment—as they disappear in a dancing, screaming flash of color.

_What a smarmy git_, I think to myself as I turn and head towards the Ravenclaw common room. I bit my lip and turn a little to examine my bottom. What does 'an arse like a dancer' even mean? Is that supposed to be a good thing? I'm gnawing on my lip now, hoping that no one else hears that stupid song.

I cross my arms tightly over my chest as I approach the knocker.

"Four brothers were born together. One runs but never walks, one eats but is never full. One drinks and is ever thirsty, and one sings a song that is never good. Who are they?"

I think for a moment before saying, "Earth, fire,water and wind. However, I must disagree. The song of wind can be quite good sometimes if your willing to listen."

"An observation worth noting," the knocker replied as the door swung open. I slipped inside and retrieved a book from the bookshelves, seating myself just in front of the fire on a rather comfy looking armchair.

I had a good hour or so before all the first years arrived so I figured I'd use the time to relax. I slipped my black flats off of my feet and pulled my legs onto the chair, pulling my sweater neck over my mouth as I opened the book_ Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_, a book I read almost every year, only for the section on the Great Wizarding War. The part about Harry Potter has always been my favorite.

At that moment, Scorpius walks into the common room, humming his song softly to himself. He looks at me, smiles and winks.

"You're such a smarmy git," I muttered grabbing my shoes and book before storming up to the dorms. I could hear him laughing and singing at the top of his lungs. This continued for quite some time before it all finally died down and I could get some rest and relaxation.

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_A/N: Good afternoon ladies and gents! How are you all? Good, good. I am fine myself. Just wanted to introduce myself and perhaps give a little background info on the story. Some obvious things that you should already know from the story, but with a little explanation from mwah._

_1. Scorpius Malfoy is in RAVENCLAW. We know this now. If you were wondering what my personal reasoning is behind this, I will tell you. Slytherin seems a bit cliched to me. I didn't want to put Scorpius in this house for two reasons...one being that I don't particularly like Slytherin and two being that in this story I want Scorpius to be a differnt man than his father was. Lots of people feel that he should be in Slytherin, but I just don't feel it. Also, there is no possible way Scorpius will ever be in Gryffindor in one of my stories. EVER. This also seems too cliched to me as well and it doesn't seem fitting of his family or name. He is no Sirius Black. In all of stories Scorpius will probably appear in Ravenclaw._

_2. I don't know if I've mentioned years yet in this story, but the years for the characters portrayed so far are: Elizabeth, James, Scorpius, Rose, Roxanne, Thomas (6th Year) Fred (7th year) Al, Emily (5th year)_

_3. THIS IS IMPORTANT! I'll be putting a poll up on my profile sometime today. It will be about female villains. Please go check it out, as it pertains to this story._

_Thanks for reading and please review with your criticisms/favorite things/ideas!_

_- Celeste_


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